Hey guys! I was mega inspired by all of the thoughtful reviews. I'm thrilled that so many of you are still with me and newbies too! I wanted to get this out sooner to you guys but my internet was down and I couldn't bring myself to type 3,000 words on my phone -_-


Contrived Flaws

Chapter Seven: The Doubt


Itachi and Hinata fell into a routine over the next several weeks. Their having dinner together like that first week was a rare occasion. More often, Itachi was away on a mission and Hinata ate alone, or with her family. They occupied the same house, but that was the extent of their interaction. Itachi did not ask questions of her, and she did not inquire of him.

Shockingly, life married to the Uchiha was not so different as it had been before. Her time was divided amongst training and political duties and she saw Hanabi and Neji more often than not.

She was gradually introduced to more responsibility in her clan, even as she was trained in Uchiha politics. Mikoto was often her tutor and she enjoyed their time spent together. Her approach to schooling Hinata in the clan's ways was very down to earth and often humorous. She found that she looked forward to their sessions.

Another of her favorite things was training with her team. She had already missed one mission with them, because of her inability to leave the country, but she hadn't minded much at the time. It had been a mere two weeks after she had married Itachi and frankly she had still been freaking out about living with him.

Okay, maybe she was still freaking out about it, but she had toned it down a bit.

As it was, she was currently missing a workout with her team because she was stuck in a meeting with her clan. They were discussing the issue of kicking a branch family member off of the compound. Honestly, Hinata was all for it. The man in question had already been found in an inappropriate situation with two young Hyuuga girls. She wondered how long they could possibly discuss the matter. She just wanted to cast her vote and get the heck out of there.

"Hinata," her father addressed her, causing her body to snap to attention. "What is your opinion on the matter at hand?"

She swallowed. He was testing her, she knew. For a moment she found herself wondering what Mikoto would say. She had placed a great emphasis on all Uchiha's sharing a common goal. They all had the same ideals, she had said. Hinata dipped her head to her chin. She did not think she could meet her father's eyes. "I b-believe that if an individual does not b-behave like a Hyuuga, he should not l-live l-like one."

She was secretly proud of herself and she allowed herself a small glance at her father. He nodded, seemingly satisfied, and moved on to another.

A short while later they voted the family member off of the compound. Hinata waited, as was proper, for her turn to leave the meeting hall. She was anxious and full of energy. She needed out and she needed to train.

A large hand landed on her shoulder just as she was making her escape, "You did well, Hinata," her father said. She almost smiled in that moment. It was the nicest thing her father had said to her in a very long time. And then he added, "The Uchiha must be rubbing off on you."

She forced a smile and a thank you. When she got out of the hall she ran all the way to the training grounds.

She almost collided with Kiba when she got there. At some point she should've stopped running blindly but it had felt so good to let go. Her fate was left to chance and if chance wanted her to mow Kiba down, she was okay with that.

"Whoa, easy Hinata," he said, catching her as she flew past him. He saved her from tumbling to the ground.

She hung onto him for a few moments before stepping back. Her face was flushed red from the cold and she realized now that she hadn't even put her coat on.

"Is everything alright?" Shino asked, coming up beside her.

She nodded, glanced around, "Did I miss training?"

"By this much," Kiba said, holding his thumb and forefinger out in a minuscule measurement. "But we're going to see Hana's new pups."

Hinata brightened considerably at the news, "Hana's puppies," she said breathlessly. "I completely forgot." Kiba had been excited a couple of weeks prior when a new litter had been born into his clan. Hinata had been distracted and busy, and wasn't able to go see them.

"Well, you've had a lot on your plate," Kiba said with a grin.


Itachi struggled to focus during the clan meeting. His mind was alight with many thoughts, running many scenarios. On top of both his meeting with the Hokage this morning, and the meeting he was presently in, something was gnawing at him. He had a troubling feeling that he was going about his marriage with Hinata the wrong way.

He wasn't sure what led him to believe this, it was more of a feeling than anything else. The fact of the matter was, he was behaving precisely how his father would. That did little to comfort him.

All he knew about being a husband he'd learned from his father. But Hinata was not his mother, she was much more… he mentally searched for a word… fragile.

Still, he felt as though some reassurance was in order. Though whom to confide in was certainly a quandary. He was reluctant to seek his father's council for two reasons: One, he did not want his father to know he was doubting himself, and two, he already knew his father would agree with his course of action.

The thought of consulting his mother sounded no less bleak. She would no doubt disagree with his treatment of Hinata, but whether her advice would be useful he wasn't sure. It would most likely be far too… soft for his liking.

By now he had completely lost track of the meeting's agenda and worse, Shisui was sending him inquisitive glances. He narrowed his eyes fractionally, hoping his friend would get the message. The last thing he needed was his father calling upon him.

It was then that he realized he must be going crazy. How many times had he chastised Sasuke for not paying attention to clan business, and here he was mulling over his personal problems. His insignificant personal problems, no less.

With a cleansing breath he pushed the worrisome thoughts from his mind and focused on the matter at hand.

When he finally escaped the meeting hall, he wanted nothing more than to meditate for a few hours. With this in mind, he quietly trotted through the main house and out the back.

"Itachi," he heard his mother's voice ring out from the garden. He grimaced, considered pretending he hadn't heard her, after all, he was some ways away. But no, he couldn't do that to his mother. With an inward sigh, he veered off the path and wound his way through the garden to where she was kneeling.

Somehow, despite the fact that it was Winter, Mikoto had managed to coax a few plants to life. When she saw her son, she stood and dusted herself off. "Where are you sneaking off to?" she asked.

"I wasn't sneaking," he said.

"You were going to leave without saying anything to your mother?" she placed a hand over her heart in mock pain.

"Is there something you needed from me, mother?"

She smiled, reached forward and took his hand with her own, dirty one. She was probably the only person in the world who could touch Itachi without making him uncomfortable. "Tell me, dear, how is Hinata?"

"Do you not speak with her regularly?" he asked.

"Itachi," her voice was stern this time, "I'm asking you. How are things going?"

He had anticipated this moment and prepared a response. Though now, looking into his mother's face, he considered consulting her. He felt as though he needed advice. But no, he still needed to think on it. "As well as can be expected."

She smiled softly and he was sure he was out of the woods, but Mikoto was far more clever than her genius son ever gave her credit for. "Wonderful. You'll be having dinner with us this evening - Sasuke, your father, and I."

Itachi's mouth opened to reply, but his mother squeezed his hand. Hard. "It's not open for discussion, dear."

"Yes, mother," he replied.


Hinata was covered in puppy hair and puppy kisses but she felt refreshed and content as she made her way across the Uchiha compound. She was ready to sit in a very hot tub of water and soak away the rest of the afternoon. It was with this distracting thought in mind that she rounded a corner and slammed into a very solid chest. She was making a habit of running into people today.

Startled, she jumped back, hoping to Kami it wasn't Fugaku. Or Sasuke. But seeing the hard look on the man's face, she realized it was worse. "I-Itachi."

To her surprise, his face softened as he looked down at her, "Hinata, I was just looking for you."

She was shocked that he wasn't berating her, and as a result, found herself unable to form a response. Instead, she bore a rather unattractive resemblance to a fish out of water.

"My mother has requested ou-" he paused and sniffed the air, "Do I smell… dog?"

Hinata flushed red almost instantly, "I-I was playing with H-Hana's new litter." It sounded somehow… juvenile, when she said it aloud.

He blinked, then waved his hand in the air as if to say, "Nevermind." He continued, "My mother has requested our presence at dinner this evening."

Her stomach dropped at the news. Mikoto she had no problem with. But Fugaku, Sasuke. Together. She schooled her expression into more of a dumb stare than anything else. Still, it was an improvement from the grimace she was containing. Apparently it was still not the response Itachi was looking form.

"In which case I suggest you go and wash the dog off of yourself," he said pointedly.

She nodded and made her way toward the house rather glumly.


"If my mother asks, we're doing well," Itachi called out from the other room.

Hinata wrung her hands together nervously. Itachi was making her tense, feeding her lines and information. Say this, don't say that.

She stepped through the doorway to catch his eye, "Y-you're making m-me nervous."

"Try not to stutter in front of my father," he added as he finished securing his hair back.

She was offended for a moment before something dawned on her. She moved around in front of him and smiled softly.

He frowned.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" she asked bravely.

Itachi's frown deepened. "With all due respect, Hinata-sama, you have no idea what you're speaking of." He brushed past her, effectively ending the conversation.

Despite their limited interaction, Hinata had already learned that when Itachi added an honorific to her name, it meant she had crossed some sort of line, however invisible it seemed.

She sighed, but secretly, she decided she was right.


Dinner was grueling. Itachi seemed to transform under his father's watchful gaze. It reminded Hinata of herself with her own father. He became even more distant, like an air of pride and superiority clouded around him. It was almost as if he turned into Fugaku. Frankly, it scared Hinata. There was something about the Uchiha clan head that didn't sit well with her and being married to his protege worried her in an especially deep place.

To make matters worse, Sasuke was set on pretending that she didn't exist and Mikoto was studiously pretending that Sasuke hadn't taken this attitude.

Fugaku seemed oblivious to the obvious tensions at the table, though Hinata doubted that was the case. Instead, he was mercilessly questioning Itachi on everything from training to missions to clan matters as Sasuke's scowl deepened with every question.

To say that Hinata was uncomfortable would be a huge understatement. Thankfully, she was plenty busy trying to eat gracefully and being relieved that no one was calling upon her.

Until, of course, Mikoto took advantage of her husband's pause to issue her own question. "Hinata, how have you been getting along? Are you settling into the new house alright?"

Hinata squeezed her chopsticks tightly. She shot a worried glance at Itachi. "V-very well," she managed. Short and sweet would be least likely to get her into trouble, she decided.

Itachi inwardly cringed as she spoke. He saw his father's attention shift to the Hyuuga heiress. He narrowed his eyes fractionally at Sasuke, and hoped he got the idea. They had a system, the Uchiha brothers, of diverting their parents attention off of one another if need be.

The younger Uchiha rolled his eyes, but complied. "Father, Kakashi-sensei says that he'll sponsor me for ANBU."

Fugaku briefly glanced at Sasuke, "We have a guest," he said, as if they shouldn't discuss such things. As if he hadn't just been engaging in a similar conversation with Itachi.

"Hypocrite," Sasuke muttered under his breath before shrugging a single shoulder at Itachi.

Fugaku zeroed in on the heiress. "Tell us Hinata, how is my son treating you?"

The Hyuuga girl bit down on her lip. It was a trick question, a lose-lose situation. She would stutter, there was no way around that. Fugaku's expectant gaze was making sure of that. The best she could do was stick with her own advice: Short and sweet.

"P-p-perfectly well, Fugaku-s-sama," she punctuated her statement with a smile and hoped that it didn't look too forced.

Sasuke took the pause in conversation to cough into his hand. It sounded suspiciously like, "Liar."

Mikoto placed a hand on her younger son's shoulder, "If you're feeling unwell, Sasuke, you may be excused."

He seemed to consider a moment before taking the opportunity and fleeing the table. The traitorous bastard.

By some great power, Fugaku seemed to be satisfied with her answer and instead busied himself with eating, leaving Mikoto to carry the conversation. Hinata reached for her glass of water, hoping it would cool her from the inside.

"Well, I hope you're getting enough sleep, dear," Mikoto continued, as if she'd never really stopped, "I know how fitful of a sleeper Itachi can be."

The Hyuuga choked on her beverage, but valiantly contained every last drop inside her mouth. Did all Uchiha just wait until she had liquid in her mouth to say ridiculous things?

Beside her, Itachi's eyes widened a negligible fraction. "Mother," he said flatly, hoping to dissuade her from this line of conversation.

But the damage was done. Fugaku tuned back in, leaning forward slightly. "Yes, have you two consummated your marriage yet?" He asked it so casually that Hinata had to do a double take. Did he just ask if they had slept together… over dinner?

Itachi's eyes closed momentarily, but it was long enough to answer his father's question, however unintentionally.

"Ah, I see," Fugaku said, sounding mildly disappointed. "I would not put it off too much longer if I were you."

Itachi managed a curt nod before glancing at his wife beside him. She looked very nearly on the verge of fainting.

He reached under the table and squeezed her hand - the one that was presently gripping her knee for dear life - and silently begged her to stay conscious for a little while longer.

"Mother, father, thank you for dinner," he said, standing and dragging Hinata up with him.

She wobbled slightly and he swiftly pulled her against his side for support. "Th-thank you," she managed, giving a slight bow.

"We really must be going," Itachi continued.

Mikoto attempted to stop them with promises of dessert, but Itachi kept going.

Once they were outside, he released the heiress and continued walking along without a word.

Yet again, Hinata felt the need to apologize. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered, trudging along beside him.

"Do not apologize for my parent's imprudence," he replied.

"I-I know you wanted to impress y-your father with how well we're doing," she pushed.

Itachi didn't answer and they continued the walk home in silence.

"I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow," he said when they finally arrived. "I may be gone for a couple of weeks."

He realized he had a lot to do, this was the longest mission he had set off on since marrying Hinata. He needed to talk to Shisui, he had made a firm decision on that. He needed to talk Sasuke into shielding Hinata from his father, which would not be an easy task. He wasn't sure if Fugaku would take advantage of his being gone, but he didn't need him grilling Hinata when he wasn't there.

He made a mental checklist as they stepped into the inviting warmth of their home. Hinata let out a small, "Oh."

"I'll be gone in the morning," he added, watching her closely.

She shifted back and forth on her feet, a sign that Itachi had learned meant she was anxious about something. "Be… be safe." She looked up at him through her eyelashes and Itachi almost smiled.

"I will," he said solemnly.

Unsure of what to do, Hinata turned and headed for her bedroom. Itachi stopped her, "Hinata."

She turned around. Itachi ran a hand through his hair, loosening the tie. "Goodnight," he said.

Hinata let out a breath of air, "Goodnight."


Short, I know...

Alright, next chapter… Itachi talks to Shisui, heads out on his mission. What will Sasuke do while he's gone? How about Fugaku? Gasp!

What do you think Shisui will say?

Next Update... Soon, hopefully... Let's aim for thanksgiving-ish...